Did The Young Prince’s Kingdom Get Destroyed Today? Chapter 93

Before going home, the little one submitted his homework and earned third place. Although the teacher hadn’t given him a reward yet, he did extend his holiday.

On the way back, at first, the little one was still thinking about Ah Wu, but gradually, his thoughts shifted to his father and mother, as well as his brothers and sisters.

Not far outside Guan Shan Residence, there were people from Emperor Ling.

When they saw the little prince leaving, they approached him and completed the handover with Guan Shan Residence.

The person responsible for escorting the little one from Guan Shan Residence asked, “Do you need us to accompany you further? We can take you a bit further.”

“No need,” the person from Emperor Ling’s camp politely declined Guan Shan Residence’s offer. After taking over the little prince, they boarded the carriage and left without looking back.

The little prince had been away for a long time, and both the emperor and the empress were surely eager for his return.

The guards were in a hurry to get back but were careful not to rush too much, afraid of jostling the little prince.

“Big brother guard,” the little one recognized the guards who often accompanied him and felt a sense of familiarity when he saw them. He poked his little head out and said to the guard, “Don’t tell them I’m coming home yet. I want to surprise them.”

The guard: “…”

The guard didn’t dare disobey. But seeing the little prince’s hopeful expression, he couldn’t bring himself to refuse.

After a quick consideration, the guard nodded.

Seeing this, the little one happily handed him a piece of jerky, saying, “This is from the pig I helped slaughter!”

The little one didn’t like staying cooped up in the carriage, so he sat by the window and had the guard lift the curtain.

Sitting there, he could easily chat with everyone.

He talked about the pig he slaughtered, the people he met while selling goods, and kept chattering away without stopping.

“There were such nice people! When I was sitting there selling, an old lady gave me a steamed bun. She only had one and gave me more than half of it!”

“After I finished the bun, I bought her some pastries, spending all my vegetable money.”

“There were also bad people who took my vegetables without paying!”

When the little one mentioned the bad person, he puffed his cheeks in anger.

The guards listening to his story frowned, wishing they could immediately catch the person who deceived their little prince.

The little one continued chatting, and whenever he got tired, someone would immediately offer him water. The warm water even had honey in it, making it sweet and delicious.

“Little Prince, since you’ve worked so hard studying at Guan Shan Residence, why not continue your lessons at the palace school after you return?”

“No, I like the classes at Guan Shan Residence.”

The little one didn’t want to return to palace school. Unconsciously, he scooted to the edge of the carriage, his chubby little legs dangling.

The guards were worried he might fall, but he refused to go back inside. So, they continued the journey, resting here and there, much to the little one’s satisfaction.

While the guard promised not to tell anyone about the little prince’s return, he still recorded in his report that the little prince wanted to surprise everyone and requested not to announce his arrival.

The message traveled faster than the little prince, especially his letters.

This letter was quickly delivered to the palace, and when Emperor Ling received word, he had it brought directly to him.

At the time, he was at a palace banquet.

After reading the letter, Emperor Ling’s face lit up with joy. He chuckled and handed the letter to Noble Consort Yi.

“Little Seven is coming back,” Emperor Ling said. “The little rascal wants to surprise us and doesn’t want us to know in advance.”

The emperor’s mood visibly brightened, and Noble Consort Yi couldn’t hide her smile after reading the letter.

She was overjoyed.

When the little one first left for this trip, she had been so worried she couldn’t sleep.

Now, finally, the little one was on his way back.

Emperor Ling and Noble Consort Yi’s happiness was evident to the empress and other concubines. The empress remained calm, showing no emotion, while Consort De frowned, her expression somewhat complicated.

Emperor Ling, however, didn’t notice the others’ reactions, as he was still talking with Noble Consort Yi.

The news of the little prince’s return quickly spread among the other princes and princesses.

The chubby little prince was the happiest of them all, bouncing around the courtyard. “Little Seven is finally coming back! I haven’t seen him in so long!”

“Royal Mother, I’m so happy! Can I have an extra bowl of rice today?”

“No,” replied Consort Ru, sitting on a chair not far away, refusing his request.

“Ling Fu, you need to lose weight.”

“But Royal Mother, Little Seven said chubby kids are cuter!”

“Chubby like Little Seven is cute, but you’re already overweight.”

Consort Ru didn’t fall for his tricks, coldly and firmly issuing him a notice to start dieting.

With no extra rice, Ling Fu was eventually supervised by his mother, running laps in the courtyard to lose weight.

He ran several laps, panting heavily.

“Royal Mother, I just remembered I haven’t finished my homework.”

Trying to avoid running, Ling Fu even used the homework he originally didn’t plan to do as an excuse.

Consort Ru narrowed her eyes and asked, “Didn’t you say you finished all your homework today?”

“I just remembered I missed a bit,” Ling Fu mumbled.

Consort Ru, seeing through his little scheme, gave him a light smack and sent him off to finish his homework.

While working on his assignments, Ling Fu thought about his younger brother Little Seven returning, feeling uncharacteristically pleased.

In the palace, Shui Shui was also in high spirits.

“Oh, so you do remember how to smile,” Ling Yi, lounging on a rocking chair, teased as he noticed Shui Shui’s cheerful expression.

But the moment Shui Shui heard him, his smile faded.

Ling Yi: “…”

Ling Yi was frustrated. “I can tell, Shui Shui, you’re giving me the cold shoulder.”

Shui Shui remained silent.

Ling Yi was even more exasperated. “You’re really holding a grudge.”

Although Ling Yi had tried his best to hide the situation involving Shui Shui, his mother still found out. When she discovered Shui Shui, her expression was displeased.

She didn’t believe Shui Shui could cure Ling Yi’s illness, and her attitude towards Shui Shui was not particularly friendly. If it weren’t for Noble Consort Yi’s presence, Ling Yi suspected his mother would have already sent Shui Shui out of the palace.

His mother’s distrust made Shui Shui quite unhappy. And when he was unhappy, he wouldn’t speak or acknowledge anyone.

Ling Yi had been ignored by Shui Shui for several days now.

“My royal mother upset you, but you can’t take it out on me,” Ling Yi continued to try to engage Shui Shui in conversation.

But no matter what he said, Shui Shui wouldn’t respond.

While Ling Yi was having a tough time with Shui Shui, the other princes and princesses were busy preparing for the return of Little Seven. Knowing that the clingy child would visit each of them when he got back, they started getting ready, making sure to have something prepared for him.

Everyone in the palace was busy, and that night, Emperor Ling stayed in Noble Consort Yi’s palace. Both of them hadn’t seen their little one in a long time and read the letter he sent over and over.

Little Seven was unaware of all that was happening in the palace. He slept soundly at an inn along the road, and when no inn was available, the guards traveling with him set up a comfortable tent for him to sleep in.

Throughout the journey, Little Seven was well taken care of and faced no hardship. The guards liked him very much. Little Seven never acted superior around them, and the respect he showed made them want to go above and beyond in looking after him.

Late into the night, Little Seven slept peacefully, tucked into soft blankets. Though he didn’t like sleeping alone, the guards were nearby, so he felt safe and slept soundly.

But in the middle of the night, Little Seven heard some rustling sounds. Normally, he wouldn’t wake up, but this time, he had drunk too much milk before bed and needed to go to the bathroom.

He sat up, rubbing his eyes. “I need to pee.”

Little Seven crawled out of his bed and drowsily asked the night guard to carry him to the bathroom. Afterward, he noticed some guards in the distance doing something.

“What are they doing?” Little Seven, now more awake, asked while leaning against the guard holding him.

The guard glanced over but had no intention of taking Little Seven closer. He simply replied, “It’s nothing important. They found an injured child.”

The injured child was still unconscious, and his identity remained unknown. Therefore, the guards didn’t plan on letting Little Seven get too close.

But Little Seven was curious about the injured child. He clung to the guard’s neck and said in his soft voice, “Let’s go see. I just want to take a quick look, and then I’ll come back.”

“It’s already late, Your Highness. You should rest for now. You can check in on him tomorrow.”

“No, I want to see now.”

Seeing that Little Seven was insistent, the guard finally relented, saying, “We can take a look from a distance, okay? We don’t know who this child is yet, and he might try to harm you…”

“Okay, just a quick look from afar.”

Understanding the guard’s concern, Little Seven agreed.

They moved closer, and Little Seven peeked over, curious about the child the guards had found. When he saw the child’s face, his expression froze in shock.

“Little Bai!”

The injured child the guards had found was Little Bai.

Little Seven immediately became agitated. He struggled to get down from the guard’s arms. “I know this child! We shared a room! Help him!”

Little Seven ran over to get a closer look at Zhai Bai. Upon hearing that the two knew each other, the guards took the matter more seriously. Initially, they had planned to send the little one to a clinic at sunrise and leave him there with some money. But at Little Seven’s insistence, they brought the injured child back to the tent.

After treating Zhai Bai’s injuries, there was nothing to do but wait for him to wake up.

“Your Highness, why don’t you rest for a bit? I’ll wake you when he comes to,” the guard suggested, noticing that Little Seven was starting to rub his eyes from exhaustion.

“Alright, but you have to wake me up when he wakes.”

The late hour had finally taken its toll, and Little Seven was getting sleepy.

Before nodding off, he shared some stories about Zhai Bai with the guards. Zhai Bai had apparently lost weight—perhaps due to a difficult exam or a challenging practical lesson. He looked so different now that his face was nearly unrecognizable.

Yawning, the little one quickly fell asleep again.

Not long after he went to bed, Zhai Bai’s eyelids fluttered, as if he were about to wake, but ultimately, he didn’t. He remained unconscious until morning.

When Zhai Bai finally woke up the next day, he seemed disoriented. The guards asked him some questions about his identity, but he couldn’t answer.

The more questions they asked, the more frustrated he became, until he clutched his head and complained of a headache.

“Could it be he hit his head and lost his memory?” one guard wondered aloud.

Though none of them were doctors, Zhai Bai certainly seemed to be suffering from amnesia. He had forgotten much of his past, only remembering that his name was Zhai Bai. Seeing Little Seven triggered faint memories, but nothing more.

He reached out and grabbed the little one’s sleeve, his hoarse voice pleading, “Take me with you, I want to follow you.”

The little one tilted his head and looked at him.

Zhai Bai continued, “If you don’t want to keep me for long, I won’t be a burden. Once my injury heals a bit, I’ll leave.”

The little one tilted his head and looked at him for a while before slowly responding, “Okay.”

It was unclear which part of Zhai Bai’s words the little one was agreeing to.

“Do you really not remember anything?”

“I don’t. But I’ll try to remember more.”

As Zhai Bai spoke, he looked at the little one. “Did I ever tell you anything about myself? If you know, can you tell me?”

“Sure!”

The little one, who was usually accompanied only by the guards, was excited to finally see another child nearby.

Sitting close to Zhai Bai, he munched on his snack while chatting with him.

“You don’t like your family, and I don’t think your family is very nice either.”

“You’re not too keen on studying, but when you put in the effort, you can earn rewards.”

The little one didn’t say much, but Zhai Bai listened intently.

“I don’t remember much about Guan Shan Residence either. Can you tell me more about it?”

“At Guan Shan Residence, it’s just about going to school, sleeping, and playing with other kids, nothing more.”

“What classes do you take?”

“Hmm.”

The little one took a bite of his sweet cake. “There are lots of classes. You’ll find out when you go back.”

After finishing a piece of cake, he handed another one to Zhai Bai. “Here, this is for you. It’s very sweet. You used to love this.”

Zhai Bai took it and quickly finished it.

“Is it good?” asked the little one.

Zhai Bai nodded. “Very sweet.”

After chatting for a bit, the little one seemed tired. He patted his full tummy and said, “Big Bai, you should rest now. I’m going to get some fresh air.”

While traveling, they could enjoy the breeze, something the little one loved.

Perhaps it was the talking or the eating that tired him out, but after telling Zhai Bai, he was soon carried off by one of the guards.

The guard sat with him in the carriage, making sure he wouldn’t fall out while enjoying the wind.

“Your Highness, is your relationship with that child not so good?” asked the guard.

The little one, leaning against the guard and facing the wind, didn’t answer the question. Instead, he said, “I like Guan Shan Residence.”

Guard: “?”

After saying something so cryptic, the little one fell silent.

They continued their journey for two more days, getting closer to the borders of Qi Dynasty.

Zhai Bai’s injuries had improved slightly.

He wanted to follow the little one back, but since expressing this desire, the little one hadn’t responded.

That evening, while Zhai Bai was resting with his eyes closed, the little one came over for his usual chat.

“I can read fortunes. Let me tell yours.”

The little one reached for Zhai Bai’s hand.

Zhai Bai chuckled. “I don’t believe in that. But if you want to, go ahead.”

“Okay!”

The little one grabbed Zhai Bai’s hand and closed his eyes, concentrating.

He saw a vision of Zhai Bai, but what didn’t surprise him was that there were two versions of Zhai Bai.

One Zhai Bai was bullying the other. The little one, while seeing the vision, called out to Ah Wu.

“Ah Wu, have you gone back yet?”

“Not yet.”

“I’m going home, so I’m just letting you know.”

“I understand.”

“Have you seen Little Bai? What is he doing now?”

“No, I’m not traveling with him.”

“Alright.”

The little one said, “I met a child on the road who looks just like Little Bai. I’ll have someone leave him outside Guan Shan Residence. You can let Little Bai know.”

“Alright.”

Ah Wu wanted to ask more, but the little one had already cut off their connection.

After finishing the fortune-telling, the little one let go of Big Bai’s hand and blinked at him.

In the next moment, he casually picked up an object nearby and knocked Big Bai unconscious.

Before Big Bai passed out, his eyes were filled with shock.

“I knew it all along—you’re not Little Bai.”

The little one said, “Little Bai doesn’t like sweets. Whenever he sees me, he wants to pinch my cheeks, and you don’t.”

“You’re Little Bai’s twin.”

As the little one continued to explain his discovery, he added, “I don’t think you’ve lost your memory at all.”

Whether Big Bai heard those final words or not was unclear, as he was already unconscious.

The little one felt he had said enough and waved his hand to summon two guards to take Big Bai away.

He had Big Bai delivered outside Guan Shan Residence, waiting for Zhai Bai to see him and handle the situation.

The little one didn’t know much about Zhai Bai’s family matters, nor did he want to pry. He figured Zhai Bai would tell him when he was ready.

Sending Big Bai away didn’t affect the little one’s mood. As they neared home, he became restless inside the carriage.

“You didn’t tell anyone I’m coming back, right?”

“No,” one of the guards replied.

Hearing this, the little one was even more excited.

When they arrived at the palace, the little one refused any fanfare or announcements. He jumped out of the carriage, slung his small bag over his shoulder, and ran into the palace on his short legs.

The palace paths were long, and after running for a while, the little one rubbed his cheeks and sighed, “Sigh, I got out of the carriage too early.”

He should have stayed in the sedan chair a little longer.

But now, it was too late to go back; he’d surely be discovered.

Exhausted from running, the little one’s face was flushed red as he leaned against the wall, moving forward step by step.

Meanwhile, Emperor Ling and Noble Consort Yi were already waiting for him. The Emperor had asked the small kitchen to prepare the little one’s favorite dishes, while Noble Consort Yi was in her chambers, pretending to read official documents but hadn’t turned a page in half an hour.

As time passed, the little one encountered several people on his way and hid whenever he saw someone. In one instance, he ducked his head into a rock garden but left his little bottom sticking out.

A passing servant saw this and thought, “…”

Let’s just pretend we didn’t see him.

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